Game.



NqI 739,254. v l PATBNTBD SEPT. 15, 1903.

' A. E. BORLAND.

GAME.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. v. 190s.

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No. 739,254. y

UNITED STATES Patented September 15, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

k,ARTHUR E. BORLAND, OF DANVILLE, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR TO ASA WSSON, OF DANVILLEL VERMONT.

GAME.

sPEoIFicATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,254, dated september. 15, 1903. Application filed March 7. 1903-A Serial No. 146.786. (No model.)

To 'all 1071/0771. it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. BORLAND, a citizen of the United States,residing at Danv ville, in the county of Caledonia and State of Vermont, have invented a new and useful Game, which I have named Biladettefof which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to games of the general type'in which a ball or series of balls are played upon a table having an upper board provided with a series of openings through which the balls pass to an underlyi11ginclinedboard,down which the balls travel by gravity and enter pockets at the lower terminal of the latter board, and has for its objects tc produce a device of this character of simple construction which will be highly amusing and interesting and one in which the result of the game will dependlargely upon the skill of the players.

To these ends the invention comprises the novel details of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described.'

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of a game board or table embodying my invention. `Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal section. Fig. 3 isatrans- Verse section. Fig. 4 is a detail View of the ball-expelling device.

Referring to the drawings, l indicates my improved board or table, which in practice may be placed upon anl ordinary table or stand or provided with sustaining-legs, as fancy may direct. This table consists, essentially, of a box-like frame or. casing, preferably of rectangular form, as shown, and consisting of side boards 2 and an end board 3, which sustain an upper horizontal main board 4 and an underlying forwardly and downwardly inclined supplemental board 5. The main board 4 is provided at its rear end with a series of openings 6, preferably arranged as shown in Fig. 'l and numbered as therein indicated to impart to them a certain valuation in the game. The lower inclined board 5, which is entirely free frompartitions or otherguides or obstructions, has formed at its forward lower end al series of pockets or receptacles 7, preferably of the number and arrangement illustrated in Fig. l. These pockets or receptacles each have an open side disytheincli'ned board 5. to be particularly noted that the underlying posed toward the rear endof the table and areV each providedwith a designating number which imparts to them a specific valua` tion in the game. The side and end boards of the frame project slightly above the upper surface of board 4 to produce a flange or abut- Vment around the same, which is completed by 'front rail 8, theobject being to so expel the balls that they will pass through the openings 6, it being, of course, an advantage to Vdirect them through the holes bearing the highest numbers, inasmuch as said numbers count in the game to make up a certain predetermined number which must be attained by the players, the player first attaining said number being, of course, the winner of fthe game. The balls after passing through the openings 6 travel bygravity down the underlying board 5 and enter any one of the pockets 7, which are, as before stated, numbered and the numbers of which enter into the sum-total of the game,whereby asingle ball in passing through one of the openings 6 counts for the player the number borne by said opening and also counts for thel player the numberI borne by the pocket Whichit enters after passing down In this connection it is board 5 being entirely free from guides or the like a ball may after passing through anyone ing from this part of the game the element of chance, whereas, upon the other hand, the passage of the balls into the pockets at the lower terminal of board 5 depends solely upon chance, for the reasons above explained.

For expelling or shooting the balls over the board 4E I employ a device consisting of a handle 9 and a blade IO, of any suitable spring metal, preferably of the form illustrated in Fig. 4. In shooting the balls they will be placed at any suitable point along the rail 8 as the skill or fancy of the player may direct and the handle 9 of the shooting device grasped by the player with one hand, while with the other hand the blade I() will be bent backward and snapped against the ball, as will be readily understood, the force of the blow upon the ball and the speed of travel of the same over the board t being determined and regulated by the amount of bend imparted to blade 10. v

From the foregoing it will be seen that I produce a simple and inexpensive game which will afford considerable amusement and interest, and in attaining these ends I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details herein set forth, as minor changes may be made therein without departing from the Spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- In a game, the combination with a frame, of a mainboard sustained thereby and provided adjacent to its rear end with a series of numbered openings, and a downwardly and forwardly inclined board underlying the main board and provided adjacent to its front end with a series ot' numbered receptacles, the active face of the underlying board being free from guides or the like.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR E. BORLAND. `Wi t nesses:

FRED J. PRESTON, CHARLES S. DOLE. 

